


Imagine

by SgtLeppard



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Gen, Motherhood, No Deeprealms, Singing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-25
Updated: 2017-02-25
Packaged: 2018-09-25 13:53:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9823475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SgtLeppard/pseuds/SgtLeppard
Summary: Beruka has no idea how to be a parent, but she's at least trying. The only thing she can do is something she's never done before: sing the child a lullaby.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I don't want kids. I really don't. Babysitting them is bad enough. Anyway, I tried to keep the gender of the kid neutral so you can picture whoever you want there [personally I'm leaning towards Ignatius, but that's just me]. This is also the first time I've written for Beruka, so I hope I do her at least some justice
> 
> Also did I mention I love John Lennon?

This was most troublesome.

This had to have been the eighth time Beruka had been woken up by her infant child crying. Her husband was on night patrol, which meant he couldn't put the child back to sleep like he normally did. Admittedly, she was at a loss. What was she to do? She had never taken care of a baby before. With the war going on, no one would've thought they would find the time for starting a family, and yet here she was with absolutely no clue what to do. Sure, Lady Camilla taught her how to hold a baby and feed them and how to change their diapers, but elsewise, she was in unchartered waters. Besides, her husband was more of a family-oriented person than she was. She didn't have a family to speak of before marrying.

Sighing, she got out of bed and went to her child's side. Yep, being fussy again. Beruka mentally went through the list of things Lady Camilla told her about that would result in an infant child crying. Was the child hungry? No, she fed them not too long ago. Did the child's diaper need changing again? Just as her liege taught her, she checked. No, it was fine. Was the child in any sort of pain? There didn't seem to be any injuries, but maybe it was best to have a healer take a look. Though, it would be unwise to bring a crying child out in the middle of camp, as it would wake everyone up. But it was equally, if not more unwise to leave the child alone, if only for a little while. She decided to use her intuition to conclude that the child was not hurt.

Then what could be the reason? Why was her child crying? Furthermore, what could she do to keep it quiet? Maybe if she mimicked her husband when this happened, the child would quiet down. She held the child close, rocking and shushing softly. "It's alright, child," she whispered, doing her best to sound nurturing, though in the back of her mind, she was sure she sounded cold and monotonous. "There's no need to cry. Mother's here."

After a few minutes, the crying had only worsened. What in Naga's name was she to do? She was doing exactly what her husband would do in this situation, but it wasn't helping. Maybe the child was in pain. Before she could decide whether or not to take the child to a healer or bring one to it, a voice made its presence known. "Beruka?"

She turned to find Felicia in her tent. "What is it that you want?" she asked.

"Do you need some help?"

While she typically dealt with things on her own, this she wasn't equipped for. Besides, Felicia's a healer with a child of her own. Despite her general clumsiness, maybe she might know what to do. "I cannot get this child to stop crying," she said, still rocking the baby in her arms. "It's not hungry nor does its diaper need changing. I'm unsure if it's in pain, however."

"May I?" Felicia held out her arms to take the crying child. Beruka did so, watching as the maid carefully inspected it for any unseen injuries. "Seems fine to me," she spoke, handing the child back to Beruka.

"Then what is wrong with it?"

Felicia pondered for a moment before answering. "Maybe the kid's just fussy. Since it's late, maybe you could try singing a lullaby."

Beruka glared at her. "What."

"Sing a lullaby," Felicia repeated. "That usually puts my little girl right to sleep."

"While I don't doubt its effectiveness, I don't know any lullabies," Beruka stated. This was true. She knew of no lullabies whatsoever. Her mentor never bothered to sing her to sleep when she was little, nor had she overheard any.

"I'm sure you'll think of something." With that, Felicia left the tent, once again leaving Beruka alone with her still crying baby. Just great. Singing was not something she was known to do. That along with her lack of lullabies to sing left her at a standstill. She didn't know what to sing to this child.

Well... she did know a few songs. None were lullabies, but they could work. One in particular she had heard numerous times when on missions. It was a song of peace and harmony. A busker on a busy corner in Nohr often performed it when he was out. She largely ignored it, but after so many times, she could still remember the words and the melody. It couldn't hurt to try.

The baby's crying only grew louder, and Beruka was becoming concerned that the entire camp would wake. Now was as good a time as ever to give the song a shot. Clearing her throat, she sang.

_♪Imagine there's no heaven♪_

Her voice was breathy at best, but she continued.

_♪It's easy if you try♪_

It was, now that she thought about it.

_♪No hell below us  
Above us only sky♪_

It was working. The child was beginning to quiet down. It was best that she continue.

_♪Imagine all the people  
Living for today♪_

A nice sentiment.

_♪Imagine there's no countries  
It isn't hard to do♪_

It really wasn't. Beruka could easily envision there being no Nohr or Hoshido. Just people. In fact, it was easy to forget that countries even existed.

_♪Nothing to kill or die for  
And no religion too♪_

Yes. If only that were a reality. In war, there were deaths any which way you looked at it. It would be nice for the fighting to cease. All it would take is for the war to end. Who knows how long that would be, but war will have its end. That at least she could be sure of.

_♪Imagine all the people  
Living life in peace♪_

Peace. The one thing everyone wanted now. With the end of war will come peace.

_♪You may say I'm a dreamer  
But I'm not the only one♪_

Maybe dreaming of peace was naïve, but then again, maybe not so.

_♪I hope someday you will join us  
And the world will be as one♪_

Wouldn't that be nice? The world being peaceful. No more war. The child was now silent aside from some soft cooing, but Beruka thought it best to continue the song. It would be a shame not to finish it.

_♪Imagine no possessions  
I wonder if you can♪_

She could. She spent a lot of time without anything to call her own. Even though now she did, it was still easy to picture.

_♪No need for greed or hunger♪_

Something that Nohr had desperately wanted for a long time now. If only Nohr wasn't a starving nation, it would be like this. No needless greed, no one suffering from hunger. Maybe it would when the war ended. She certainly hoped so. She didn't want her child to grow up the way she did.

_♪A brotherhood of man♪_

Peace between Hoshido and Nohr. Realistically, she knew it would be some time before everyone would be willing to hold hands and sing kumbaya, but wasn't this what everyone was fighting for? Peace? She wanted this for her child for sure. No greed, hunger, war. Just peace. Her child deserved it, and she would fight for it tooth and nail. Not just because Lady Camilla ordered it, but because her child should not have to bear her and her husband's sins in war. Her child should not have to live in a poverty-stricken Nohr and grow up in the slums like she did. Her child deserved so much more.

_♪Imagine all the people  
Sharing all the world♪_

The child had by now fallen asleep in her arms, but there was still a little bit of the song left. Truly, Beruka thought, it would be a shame to not finish it.

 _♪_ _You may say I'm a dreamer_  
_But I'm not the only one_  
_I hope someday you will join us_  
_And the world will live as one♪_

The song was now over, and the child remained peacefully asleep. Beruka softly sighed in relief. She carefully placed the child back in the bassinet, gently covering it with a blanket. Once it was snug, she quietly slipped back into her own bed.

This is what it's like as a mother, she supposed. And to think the wyvern rider used to think she wasn't cut out for motherhood. Yet, here she was, mentally reveling in her victory of having put her crying child back to sleep with a song. Beruka wasn't quite sure it counted as a lullaby, despite its effectiveness. She guessed it didn't matter in the end.

As sleep began to claim her once more, her thoughts drifted to that song. Peace. What everyone wanted and fought for. What her child deserved to grow up in. One day the world will indeed live as one. It could be tomorrow, or years from now. Regardless, she was certain that seeing Nohr rise up from its impoverished state would bring joy to many hearts, possibly her own as well. She would just have to see about that.

Maybe she should sing that song as a lullaby more often.


End file.
